'Hockey Night in Canada': 5 Storylines

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins will try for sweeps of different kinds in this week's "Hockey Night in Canada" doubleheader on Saturday.

The Maple Leafs will go for a two-game sweep of the Winnipeg Jets when they play at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN360, NHL.TV). Toronto won 4-2 at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday, handing Winnipeg its first home loss in regulation this season. The Penguins visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in the second game (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, SN360, CITY, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV) and will be trying for a sweep of their four-game Canadian road trip after defeating the Maple Leafs 3-0 on Oct. 18, the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime on Tuesday and the Calgary Flames 9-1 on Thursday.
Here are five storylines to watch:

Matthews vs. Laine, Round 2

When the Maple Leafs and Jets played on Wednesday, most of the pregame attention focused on Toronto center Auston Matthews and Winnipeg forward Patrik Laine. Neither Matthews, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, or Laine, taken at No. 2, hit the scoresheet. It was the third straight game without a point for Matthews after he scored 10 goals and 16 points in Toronto's first seven games. Laine, who had 44 goals last season, finishing second behind Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (49), has not had a point in his past four games. The Maple Leafs are 7-3-0, and the Jets are 7-3-1 after a 2-1 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, but to fulfill the high expectations for their respective teams, Matthews and Laine must avoid extended slumps.

Andersen vs. Hellebuyck

For all the firepower the Maple Leafs and Jets have, each team will likely go as far as its goaltending takes it. The Maple Leafs remain prone to mistakes on defense, but Frederik Andersen (5-3-0, 2.66 goals-against average, .916 save percentage) erases a lot of them. With unproven Garret Sparks as his backup, Andersen remains Toronto's most important player. The emergence of Connor Hellebuyck as a top goaltender was the biggest reason the Jets reached the Western Conference Final last season; he set a record for United States-born goaltenders with 44 wins and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. But Hellebuyck is 4-3-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .907 save percentage this season, down from a 2.36 GAA and .924 save percentage last season. He needs to be better for the Jets to take the next step.

Penguins finding their game

Pittsburgh was 2-1-2 entering its game at Toronto. But something has clicked for the Penguins during their first lengthy trip of the season. They shut out the Maple Leafs, got past the Oilers and demolished the Flames, scoring nine goals in a game for the first time since defeating the New York Islanders 9-2 on Dec. 11, 2008, and matching their largest margin of victory in a road game (8-0 at the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 5, 1991). Pittsburgh is getting production from up and down the lineup.

Crosby heating up

The best news for the Penguins during the trip is that Sidney Crosby has found his scoring touch. Crosby didn't score a goal during Pittsburgh's first six games, then had two against Edmonton, including the game-winner in overtime on a spectacular backhand shot. He followed that with another highlight-reel backhand goal and two assists in the win at Calgary. Crosby is spending more time working down low, and the results have been impressive -- he's winning more puck battles and creating offense for himself and his linemates. On a team full of talent, Crosby is the engine that makes the Penguins go.

Canucks struggling to score

Though the Canucks are 6-5-0, they've had trouble scoring, especially since rookie forward Elias Pettersson, who had eight points (five goals, three assists) in Vancouver's first five games, sustained a concussion on Oct. 13. The Canucks are 3-3-0 in their past six games and have scored 11 goals during that span; the only game in which they scored more than two was a 3-2 overtime win at Pittsburgh on Oct. 16. All three wins have come in overtime or a shootout. Pettersson accompanied the Canucks on their two-game trip to Las Vegas and Arizona this week but didn't play. However, he and forward Brock Boeser, who missed the past two games with a groin injury, will play against the Penguins; that should give Vancouver's offense a major boost.